For immediate release: February 20, 2012
The Interim Executive Committee of the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) announced that Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., WCW Research Scientist, as the Susan McGee Bailey Research Scholar, effective July 1, 2012. This award is presented to a researcher whose work places women’s perspectives at the center of the inquiry while addressing critical issues growing out of a global understanding of the lives of women and recognizing the importance of linkages and new insights inherent in an interdisciplinary approach. In a letter to colleagues and donors, the Committee wrote:
"Dr. Charmaraman joined WCW in 2006 as a National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development Postdoctoral Research Scholar. A WCW Research Scientist since 2008, Dr. Charmaraman’s research interests center on adolescent identity and bridging societal gaps, ranging from 21st century media literacy to positive urban youth development.
"In collaboration with Teen Voices, a center promoting positive teen girl-produced media, Dr. Charmaraman is currently principal investigator of a multi-media strategy project, funded by the Schott Foundation, to encourage public awareness of the road to educational equity for girls of color. She is also engaged in evaluation projects for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and the National SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum funded by the Kellogg Foundation.
"Additionally, she is the principal investigator of research on the construction of online surveys and strategies for targeting underrepresented young people, funded by the WCW 35th Anniversary Fund. This study will provide researchers with explicit procedures to design and implement accessible and culturally sensitive online surveys, with the main goal of targeting and recruiting diverse, hard-to-reach populations of youth nationwide using social media and other novel recruitment procedures.
"In the upcoming year, Dr. Charmaraman plans to mentor a Wellesley College student in hopes of encouraging her to choose a research career related to adolescent development. They will be involved in analyzing open-ended survey questions pertaining to adolescent identity and media use. From this analysis, they will develop community-based strategies to promote the documentary video series that will be produced from the Schott-funded project about the educational equity of girls. This will culminate in co-writing for publication and co-presenting at local and academic conferences."
